Loyola’s Sister Jean Celebrates Her 100th Birthday

The beloved nun and Loyola University chaplain became a national sensation during the 2018 March Madness college basketball tournament, when the Ramblers made their first Final Four appearance since 1963

Published August 21, 2019•Updated on August 21, 2019 at 7:59 pm

The beloved nun and Loyola University chaplain became a national sensation during the 2018 March Madness college basketball tournament, when the Ramblers made their first Final Four appearance since 1963.

"This is what Loyola is all about," she said during her birthday party. "This is what Rogers Park is about, and I appreciate everyone who is here today. I almost thought classes had started when I saw all the students here already."

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker also attended, donning a Loyola scarf for his speech.

"What makes me most proud of you is your committment to the Rambler community, not just on the court, but off the court," he said. "Not just in the limelight but in your decades of service."

Loyola has been honoring Sister Jean for weeks, first with an exhibit at the school's museum of art called "A Century of Sister Jean," commemorating her life and showing pictures of her throughout the years.

On Tuesday, LEGO revealed a Sister Jean lookalike statute made up of more than 10,000 of the plastic bricks.

Wednesday, she got to blow out the candles at a massive celebration on the school's Rogers Park campus, featuring cake and musical performances.

During the event, Sister Jean revealed her secret to living a long life: saying good morning.

"It might be tough to do in the beginning but it'll grow on you," she said.